Dale From Top Chef Will Make Dumplings At Newark Airport

It’s all part of the $120 million facelift United Airlines is giving its terminal at Newark, which Bloomberg has proclaimed will be a “foodie theme park.” Showing up two hours early never sounded so good.

The year is 2016. Worn down by the soul-draining experience that is modern air travel, you begin hallucinating, imagining a Top Chef alumni slinging pork and chive dumplings in Newark Airport as you wait to board your flight to Portland.

Set to open next year, some 55 new dining establishments will grace the remodeled Terminal C at Newark, and will include everything from Dale’s dumplings, to gourmet pizza and Swedish meatballs. Designed by the Rockwell Group, Parts and Labor Design, David Mexico Group, and CrÃ¨me, the new United terminal will also feature thousands of iPads for weary travelers who just don’t want to deal with people when they sidle up to the planned ramen bar.

Here’s a look at how the new terminal’s designers say it will shape up.

And iPads everywhere!

So many iPads. Throughout the 100,000 square-foot terminal, you’ll find iPads at nearly every turn–6,000 of them to be exact. The model is reminiscent to Delta’s terminals at LaGuardia and JFK, and eliminates the need for human contact if a diner so desires.

There are sea-themed restaurants.

And many others featuring “bespoke” wood and designs intended to conjure a European town square. You might not even want to board your flight to Copenhagen because who can actually get a table at Noma anyway?